Crafting with limitations and disabilities is possible. With this blog, I am creating a record to show how I am overcoming my disability and using it as a motivation to become a better crafter. I hope my story helps others who may be in a similar situation. My tools, my hands. Crafting with limitations and disabilities is frustrating and can be very painful. The most important tool we CAN use is our determination. Click on a picture on the slideshow to view an enlarged image.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Create tag
Creating is fantastic. We try one way or another to create something. New dishes, a dress, a home, a career... but the most amazing quality we have is the ability to create life. Not all of us chose to do so. Those who do, are forever responsible of that life. This tag starts out by drawing a human to be. What a challenging proposition! Lots of research on-line and finally, I drew the embryo concept on paper, cut with an x-acto knife for precision and then glued that to heavy card stock. Cut again and edge with Antique Linen Distress ink. Stamped old German text with archival ink. Position it on the tag and lightly trace with pencil. Covered the tag with very light green flourish paper, stamped the sun with Wild Honey Distress ink and heat embossed with detail powder. Using Stazon yellow ink and a nib, detailed the silhoute and the sun. Using Wild Honey and Cut and dry foam, edge tag. Then lightly edge with Milled Lavender. Stamp 'create' with Wild Honey towards the middle. Using Eggplant Alcohol ink, dribble over a few frosted glass leaves, heat set and then with a paper towel with one drop of alcohol, wipe the tops of the leaves so only the veins are stained. String on a wire to create a circle and thread into the tag's string.
Free tag
Working my way through the box of word stamps, I am on the 4th one... FREE... what is freedom? The ability to think the way you want, express yourself and go where you want, but mostly, it means to be yourself without restrictions.
On this tag I covered the base tag with small detailed card stock and heat embossed a Victorian birdcage -slightly off center- with copper. Using Stazon purple, I stamped the butterfly with the swirls still on the cage. Edged the whole tag with Concord Grape Distress ink and lined the butterfly stamp with a glazing pen. Punched a 'stamp' using MS punch and stamped 'free' with white Stazon ink, adhered with foam dot. Also a MS punch is the monarch butterfly punched from lavender vellum and glued to a sliver of foam. Perked the wings and its ready to fly. Punched out 2 different flowers, edged the largest with lavender chalk ink, stacked and added a rhinestone in the center. Adhered with a pop dot above the 'free' stamp. Added 2 small glass flower charms loaded on copper wire and attached to the string tag.
On this tag I covered the base tag with small detailed card stock and heat embossed a Victorian birdcage -slightly off center- with copper. Using Stazon purple, I stamped the butterfly with the swirls still on the cage. Edged the whole tag with Concord Grape Distress ink and lined the butterfly stamp with a glazing pen. Punched a 'stamp' using MS punch and stamped 'free' with white Stazon ink, adhered with foam dot. Also a MS punch is the monarch butterfly punched from lavender vellum and glued to a sliver of foam. Perked the wings and its ready to fly. Punched out 2 different flowers, edged the largest with lavender chalk ink, stacked and added a rhinestone in the center. Adhered with a pop dot above the 'free' stamp. Added 2 small glass flower charms loaded on copper wire and attached to the string tag.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Discover tag
Another word from the set is done. The world is a place to discover talent, friends, languages, food, art, you name it! Having had the opportunity to do some traveling, I still crave it. Choosing a place, packing, planing the route, think of all the wonderful things to do... and we realize the journey already started.
After gluing a map over the base tag, used cut and dry foam to ink edges with Tea Dye and very little Vintage Photo. Stamped and embossed the 1/2 world with garnet powder. Masked and stamped all the postoids I own! Then took the cancellation stamp (wavy lines) and stamped it toward the bottom of the tag with bright red.
Separately, stamped 'discover' on a piece of the map with Timber (Stazon), trimmed and then glued to the bottom of the tag. Using Tim Holtz ticket dies and a strip of camel 'foamie' sheet, I got a good base for the ticket stamp (Tim Holtz) with Archival ink. Stamped 'YOU!' on it, trimmed around and glued to the tag. Then I stamped the cancellation mark on the ticket matching the original one on the tag. To complete the look, I attached a flower dangle to a mini compass and threaded through the string on the tag.
After gluing a map over the base tag, used cut and dry foam to ink edges with Tea Dye and very little Vintage Photo. Stamped and embossed the 1/2 world with garnet powder. Masked and stamped all the postoids I own! Then took the cancellation stamp (wavy lines) and stamped it toward the bottom of the tag with bright red.
Separately, stamped 'discover' on a piece of the map with Timber (Stazon), trimmed and then glued to the bottom of the tag. Using Tim Holtz ticket dies and a strip of camel 'foamie' sheet, I got a good base for the ticket stamp (Tim Holtz) with Archival ink. Stamped 'YOU!' on it, trimmed around and glued to the tag. Then I stamped the cancellation mark on the ticket matching the original one on the tag. To complete the look, I attached a flower dangle to a mini compass and threaded through the string on the tag.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Passion tag
This one includes some of my favorites! First, stamped Girl in Wave using chalk ink (progressively darkened toward the bottom) trim and edged with Platinum. Glued to a larger piece of dark bluish card stock, edged that with a postage stamp punch. Separately, stamped 'passion' on the same color paper, trimmed and edged with platinum. Inked around the base tag with foam using Chipped Sapphire. Cutting a tag from Vintage Shabby, I trimmed 2mm around and distressed, then inked the edge with Broken China and adhered to the larger tag. Glued the stamped image at an angle and on top 'passion' with pop dots. Loading 2 headpins with tumbled sea glass I attached them to a jump ring and the tag. Finally, I glued a starfish charm tucked under the raised word.
Hope tag
A friend gave me a boxed set of stamps with one word statements. Maybe I'll work my way through the box and make tags with them...
For starters, we have HOPE. Stamped the keyhole face on transparency material with Stazon, cut and then glued that onto iridescent card stock, trimmed the edges and then carved the hole itself. Stamped the girl (gypsy set) in purple and masked. Added the flourishes with Pumice Distress ink and edged with Wild Honey and Worn Lipstick inks. Using brown I stamped 'hope' 3 times in different directions without reloading ink. I centered the key hole over the girl's face. made registration marks for alignement, pierced and by putting a 4mm bead under the keyhole I got the dimensional effect when I put the brads. The metal key was inked with Sunset Orange alcohol ink and heat set, then attached to tag.
For starters, we have HOPE. Stamped the keyhole face on transparency material with Stazon, cut and then glued that onto iridescent card stock, trimmed the edges and then carved the hole itself. Stamped the girl (gypsy set) in purple and masked. Added the flourishes with Pumice Distress ink and edged with Wild Honey and Worn Lipstick inks. Using brown I stamped 'hope' 3 times in different directions without reloading ink. I centered the key hole over the girl's face. made registration marks for alignement, pierced and by putting a 4mm bead under the keyhole I got the dimensional effect when I put the brads. The metal key was inked with Sunset Orange alcohol ink and heat set, then attached to tag.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Koi ATCs
These things can get addicting. How to create a calling card in a 2.5 x 3.5" piece of card stock? The possibilities are endless. For example, this is one of the Koi series I created using photo paper. First I did smoosh and swirl alcohol inks for the background and spritz it with light blue Perfect Pearls with a mister. Then, found a darker area that could be used as the bottom and hand painted reeds -kinda floating with the waves- and added a raised frame around (1/4" only) that I colored with pastel chalks. Separately, on transparency material I stamped the koi with black solvent ink and completed -very roughly- the rest of the body on the fish with Lumiere inks. Added a sprinkle of mini beads and using Glossy Accents I adhered the transparency -turned backwards- to the raised frame so the beads can move around. Stamped the letters on photo paper with a few stray reeds, added a page pebble over the letters and trimmed. Adhered with Glossy Accents.
On this ATC I used photo paper. I think it has a nice ripple effect when it is smooshed on alcohol inks. Alcohol inks (meadow) for the background -smoosh and swirl- and then a combination of lettuce, caramel (?) and slate -1 drop of each- painted the plants. Stamped the koi with black Stazon and again, Lumiere inks to complete the bodies of the fish. Trimmed the scene down and adhered with a Xyron runner to an orange piece of textured card stock allowing two sides to overhang and show 1/16" and then glued that to a dark teal piece of cardstock (2.5 by 3.5"). Stamped the letters on the same orange textured card stock, added page pebbles over the letters, trimmed and adhered. I love the ripple effect of the inks on the photo paper, it looks like water.
On this ATC I used photo paper. I think it has a nice ripple effect when it is smooshed on alcohol inks. Alcohol inks (meadow) for the background -smoosh and swirl- and then a combination of lettuce, caramel (?) and slate -1 drop of each- painted the plants. Stamped the koi with black Stazon and again, Lumiere inks to complete the bodies of the fish. Trimmed the scene down and adhered with a Xyron runner to an orange piece of textured card stock allowing two sides to overhang and show 1/16" and then glued that to a dark teal piece of cardstock (2.5 by 3.5"). Stamped the letters on the same orange textured card stock, added page pebbles over the letters, trimmed and adhered. I love the ripple effect of the inks on the photo paper, it looks like water.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Bee ATC
Oh yeah, this one came out right. Archival ink on glossy paper for the writing. Olive solvent ink for the measuring tape and then Wild Honey for the medallion bee. Added Distress embossing powder -Vintage Photo- and lifted the release crystals. Red Stazon for the cancellation mark. Distress ink -Vintage Photo- around the edges. A thin layer of Stickles over the wings. Bada-bing!
Bee-Day Card
My friend's b-day is right around the corner. So today I spent a great deal of time making this card using the Cricut. Not original, its a 'lift' from an excises we did in class. Can it get any more cumbersome to lift all the tiny pieces? Really! It can be very difficult for me to do this type of stuff. Gluing is OK if I run it through a Xyron machine, as long as I put the correct side on the glue... 5 bees later, here we go. The effort was worth it. She is worth it. I'll put it in the mail tomorrow.
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